Zeidler expanding services with new Vancouver office

Marcos Hui is a collaborative designer with a prolific portfolio of award-wining, high profile projects. His passions lie in finding solutions on challenging projects and contributing to community-building, vibrancy and growth.

To Marcos, architecture requires a deep understanding of scale and careful attention to detail. His strength as a designer lies in striking a delicate balance of the practical and the visionary. He believes that collaborative interplay between project team members and stakeholders is an essential factor in project success.

With a background in fine arts and graphic design, Marcos saw architecture as a natural progression of his passion for aesthetics—a unique opportunity to make the world more beautiful and a better place.

It is with this history and training that I hope to imbue the new Zeidler Vancouver office with a similar studio culture.

Marcos Hui

Marcos’ unique architectural career started while attending architecture school at the University of British Columbia and had the opportunity to attend a guest lecture by renowned Vancouver based architect, Bing Thom:

“It was in that brief, yet inspiring moment that I realized that I had much more to offer and so I decided to immediately apply for a position at his firm. With no experience and the shortest of resumes, I walked into an interview and landed my first architectural job.

It was as amazing as one could imagine. Every day was exciting and fresh, from model making to book design, intense competitions to amazingly complex jobs that spanned decades, massive urban planning down to furniture design. I was exposed to a wonderful world where design at all scales mattered, where the clients and trades were all equally important. All the while, Bing was there night and day, always pushing me for the best while selflessly sharing his wealth of knowledge.

Bing provided me with unlimited opportunities to progress my career. It is with this history and training that I hope to imbue the new Zeidler Vancouver office with a similar studio culture in which designers care about every detail, challenge both themselves and every aspect of the process and most importantly find inspiration and joy in the complex act of architecture.”

Sitting down with Marcos we had the chance to chat more in depth about his experience in Vancouver as well as the change to Zeidler.

Vancouver is filled with so many unique and vibrant neighbourhoods, what attracted you to the Armoury District?

The area has always been a unique hub of industrial, production, art and design. We wanted to be in the heart of this area as we see ourselves as a design-focused studio that is complemented and supported by our national expertise. I have worked in the area for the past two decades and understand the unique Vancouver architectural and design community. As such, our studio’s position reflects the fact that Zeidler is a locally-grown design studio rather than one that is imported.

What do you hope to bring to the community?

Zeidler has long been a design firm that contributes to better communities through good design and the Vancouver office will carry that same attitude.

Innovativeness is at the forefront of our approach, but we also emphasize sustainability. Sustainability naturally extends to architecture, where we are all responsible for the choices that we make. We want our designs to positively impact the community and environment that surrounds us.

Canada Place, Vancouver 1986

Calgary Partner James D Brown thought appointing Marcos as Managing Director was a natural decision, seeing him as a talented, well-rounded designer who aligns with Zeidler’s vision and culture.

“His strength is really as a designer, as someone who understands a building in its entirety—not only the architecture but also the interior experience and how it works on site. He has a strong opinion and design sense, and values developing better designs through discussion and collaboration.”

These strengths, along with Marcos’ career experience both internationally and in Vancouver, are key in why Zeidler chose Marcos to lead the new office.

“Marcos has had the opportunity to work on remarkable projects in his career, including developer residential, institutional and civic work, at all different scales, so he really brings a well-rounded approach to all these kind of projects. He’s someone who is focused on the public realm and delivering high-quality buildings through a full-service office and I think that’s key. It’s why we felt it was important to bring him as a leader who can take a project from beginning to end.”

In addition to his strength and experience in architectural work, Marcos is also a great cultural fit for Zeidler.

“I think a strength of Zeidler is that everyone here wants to feel comfortable since this is kind of a second home for us. We want to work with people we can collaborate with, in an environment that is supportive. Zeidler is a design office that wants to build connections between people, and I think Marcos is someone who truly believes in that and someone who lives his life in that way.”